A traditional blend of pressed Virginias with a hint of latakia and a dash of Highland malt whiskey make Bothy Flake a medium strength, aromatic and easy smoking tobacco.A Kearvaig Pipe Club Tobacco.

Notes: By K&K: Bob Gregory doesn't know how many "Bothies" (small huts) there are in the Highlands, but he estimates about 40 of 'em. The good thing about these cabins is that they are allowed to smoke here. You can do everything in such a hut: You can make a fire to keep yourself warm, eart the leftover food, and drink the leftover drink. The prerequisite, however, is that food an drink be stocked up again for the next hiker.

"These little huts have saved my life once" says Bob. "Many years ago, with m father I spent two nights in the Cairngorm Mountains in the wet, cold and windsy weather. My father had sprained his foot and could barely walk. Our luck was the Corar Bothy who gave us shelter during the storm."

The Bothy Flake is a thanksgiving to these small huts. Consisting of a full Virginia tobacco with a small share of latakia from Cyprus. The flake gets its smoky-peaty undertone with the addition of a typical Highland malt whiskey essence, which is highlighted by the latakia. Medium in strength and aromatic with a full-bodied room note. A genuine Highlander!

The pressed Virginias are fairly earthy, slightly vegetative with a deep dark stewed fermented fruitiness, and are the main players. There’s a light spice note from them, too. They say there’s a “hint” of smoky, woody sweet Cyprian latakia present, but I find it to be more noticeable than that as it well compliments the Virgnias to create a mix of smokey, woody sweetness. The Highland malt whiskey, though mildly applied, is rich in flavor and melds well with the tobaccos without sublimating them much. The various flavors remain consistently smooth and creamy from start to finish. Has a moderate nic-hit. The flakes are fairly moist, and may need some dry time, though I have smoked it without doing so. Either way, it’ll burn slow and require a fair number of relights. leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle. Won’t bite even if pushed, but I find a slow cadence heights the enjoyment of the richness of the smoke. Has a pleasant after taste.

Bothy Flake comes in very moist condition and smells like peaty single malt out of the tin, just as promised. I let it dry for a whole day and rubbed it out before filling the pipe, but still needed some patience to light it properly.

Once accomplished this is a lot of fun to smoke for the individual components are distinguished and harmonically melted at the same time (if that makes any sense). During your smoke it not only smells fantastic, but there is quite some complex development going on in taste. My first impression was smoky, peaty Latakia taste, which instantly smoothens out accompanied by subtle sweetness of the Virginias and malty notes till mid bowl, ending in a pleasant, slightly piquant finish, as if there was Perique in there.

The use of a charcoal filter cuts off some of the fascination, a paper filter that doesn't block the airstream was fine though.

There was not a single Whisky blend out there, that managed to fully convince me to deserve its name. Thanks to SG that’s a thing of the past. Happy aging everyone!

Pipe Used: Various with and without filter

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: http://www.tecon-gmbh.de

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith Navy Flake with much less Latakia and Scotch instead of rum.

This is a really good smoke in briar, cob or clay. In briar and clay the Latakia is somewhat muted allowing the Virginias to have a bigger role. The Scotch is more tangy and less malty. In a cob the Latakia is about equal in influence with the Virginias and the Scotch is more malty with just a little tang. It's damn good either way you go, but I prefer the cob. Just seems a little better balanced. Burns best for me fully rubbed out. Does require drying time. A very nice flake. Better than 3 stars, but closer to 3 than 4.

Medium in body and taste. Flavoring is mild in briar and clay, closer to mild to medium in a cob. I'll go with mild to medium since I prefer it in a cob.

This is without doubt a great smoke, on opening the tin you get a good whiff of the Whisky soaked flakes' which in its self is real mouth watering moment, i then gently broke the flakes up and let them sit for 20 mins, then loaded my Savinelli 645 ' once lit i was greeted with the unique taste of whisky and Latakia & a slight peppery background, And it just got better & better as i gently puffed away down the bowl. Iv'e now been smoking Bothy flake for 4 wks' every day all day just to find its weak point' but i can not find one, I highly recommend everyone to try this "OUTSTANDING" blend, all i can say is well done to' Bob the blender Gregory at the brown house in kendal UK' & also to Sergeant Matron from the KPC on getting together to bring this to the market for our pleasure. You will not get any tongue bite with this, & it burns to a nice ash.

Similar Blends: Iv'e never had anything like it so i can not say it's similar to any other blend, it's just unique.

Samuel Gawith's flake blends are unique and this one is no exception!once the tin breaks a wonderfull malt whiskey aroma accompanied from fruits and smokey notes comes out.the flakes are deep brown and dark, moist almost manageable either to rub or to fold as they are.even if dried properly the lighting is not easy and several relights are needed while smoking.while burning the flavours are very natural and pleasing.the virginias are the main player offering dark fruits ,some citruses ,frorall and earth notes.latakias are descreet but obvious being smokey,earthy and spicy.the topping is there till the end without subtlimating the tobacco flavours.despite that the topping is malt whiskey the smokey notes gave me a feeling that i taste smoked whiskey some times.burns cool and very slow with some moisture being created at the end of the bowl.the room note is tolerable and the aftertaste pleasant.the nicotine level is medium.not an all day smoke.i recommend filling a churchwarden pipe with this star and relax while smoking it!

A well done English-Lakelandish-Flake! The tin note is that of musty, peaty Latakia and Whisky, quite intriguing. But then the Lakeland - which is very mild, yet everpresent - joins in, which I don't like too much.

Surprisingly my tin was rather well conditioned, being ready to smoke right out of the tin, but it benefits from drying imho. In the pipe it's a smooth Virginia+Latakia blend with nice body and the rich qualitites of Latakia, being smokiness, musti- and peatiness, as well as woodsy and ethereal notes. The Virginias balance the Latakia out very well and add mild sweetness to the smoke. The Whiskey topping is rather mild and sometimes you'll find yourself grasping for it, when the Lakeland-Essence subdues it quite a bit.

Sadly I don't like the Lakeland essence too much, but nonetheless it's a blend I'd recommend to lovers of English-, Lakeland- and Boozy-typed blends - Bothy compromises them all! ;-)

I found this blend quite repugnant. The whiskey casing, which is rather intense irritates my respiratory tract smelling from the open tin. So intense that it seems to me to be along the lines of concentrated food grade extract. It has a tremendous bitter edge with floral character, some malt and banana which is usually how I perceive bourbon which I hate. It smells very close to those bourbon flavored Avanti cigars Ramrod sans malt. The latakia is a minority player but compliments it's bitter character. I have never smoked a premium pipe tobacco infused with any whiskey that was this pungent. All in all it just suggest synthetic flavoring. I'm coming to the conclusion that spirits don't compliment tobacco.

Can I say, oh hell yes!? Bothy Flake hit the spot for me. I went hunting for a new flake and when I read the description I thought why haven't I tried this? A flake designed by true pipe smokers who know what they want out of their tobacco. This is a rich FLAVORABLE tobacco. Isn't flavor the point? Imagine a rich dark brown flake of aged flue Va's blended with premium smokey Latakia. (awesome already right?!) Then top it off with a nice Scotch Whisky. Then have it made by a long standard quality company like Samuel Gawith and you have a great smoke. How can a piper go wrong? The smell from the tin is rich and sweet and gets my mouth watering.

The tobacco does come to moist to smoke right out of the tin. You MUST set some aside. Here's why. Yes, it's wet so that means, It won't light and if you finally get it lit it will go out again and again, you won't be able to get it going. (I was impatient and tried one day).

So I sit some out at night for the next day. Perfect. Bothy Flake does have a decent nic kick so newbies be warned. I highly recommend this flake to seasoned pipe smokers who love a favorable premium smoke, especially with a great drink, or two, or three. Smoke it up!

Pipe Used: Peterson tankard. Peterson 302. Peterson 309

Age When Smoked: Feb 2016

Purchased From: pipes and cigars

Similar Blends: Reminds me of Mac Baren's Latakia flake but a bit stronger with a nice whiskey topping..

As with most of Gawith's flake it is simply too moist directly from the tin but rubbed out and then let to dry for ten minutes or so pays dividends. There's a sweet virginia smoothness, with a delicious whisky taste and a peppery latakia hint in the background. It hits the sweet point about mid bowl and then gived such a rich taste that the mouth waters - velvety, creamy and with just the rights amount of tang. It's not exactly a nicotine powerhouse but it is not weak either, there is plenty of body on this beast. I'm adding to this review after the tobacco has had a few months in the tin....It's even better. Smoother with the whisky taste really coming to the fore. Man, this is a nice smoke.

As always with Sam G' it's too moist! I leave mine out in the morning for a few hours prior to smoking to allow the flakes to dry some. If we forget that usual Sam G' niggle this is a good tobacco.

The first thing I will point out is that I find any added flavours very mild, there is a slight tang of whiskey but not overly noticeable at all. The tobacco flavours are superb, the Virginia is unequivocally the main player in this game, with the Latakia offering a light smoky background flavour making it by no means a 'Lat-Bomb'! It burns quite consistently not requiring re-lighting if it isn't left unattended and the actual smokes discernible points outside of flavour are great. The temperature? Quite cool. Nicotine? Well this would suit most kinds of smokers, not that strong as to intimidate taste only smokers, yet if inhaled it is enough to satisfy those who smoke for N. The burning of the tobacco, this depends upon having the patience to let it dry. When I smoked this without allowing it airing time the dottle left was immense but once it's been given a good airing period the burn is very clean and straight to the end. The room-note doesn't harbor any aromatic whiskey side, it is a steadfast Virginia one but not too heavy.

I was really excited when I saw this blend and even happier after my first smoke as it is the usual Sam G' quality, four stars easily.

I looked in my cellar wanting to try a new flake and came across Bothy. I didn't remember anything about it when I decided to crack it open. I was greeted with a stunning and unique aroma, strong and malty with a big blast of ocean spray behind it. And yet even despite this obvious clue it still hadn't kicked in to me that this was cased with whiskey. But it was immediately evident once I lit up.

Unlike other reviewers, the moisture level was just right for me. Though the flake was thick, which is usually not a good sign for an SG flake, it folded well, and lit and stayed lit pretty well.

I'm currently enjoying my first bowl. I expect to enjoy many more. I'm breaking a rule of mine to never write a review after trying a blend for the first time, but I'm moved to do so this time because why wait when I knew instantly that this is an outstanding flake. The first puff was delicious, as was each succeeding puff.

This is the only tobacco I've ever tried that finally gets a whiskey casing right: it doesn't sit on top of it, but integrates in deep and subtle ways with the virginias and the latakia to make them all dance and frolic in great harmony together. SG's copy is absolutely correct: this is very much a delicately flavored virginia flake, and the latakia appears as a hint -- but a necessary one that works as an amazing catalyst to bring the marvelous dash of whiskey to life by gently taming it, the smokey nuances of both working harmoniously together. It's a brilliant balancing act.

I'd go so far as to say this is the best first bowl of a new blend I've ever had. (I will follow-up this review after I've finished the tin to see if I still feel the same way.)

I anticipate this becoming one of my default all-day smokes.

I'll definitely be cellaring more of this wonderful flake. Another major winner from the master blenders at SG!

UPDATE 05/05/17 I'm on my fifth tin. Every tin after my first contained very damp flakes. I was prepared to lower my rating to 3 stars, and sometimes even 2, because the flake was so damn moist that by the time it dried enough to smoke without constant relighting the flavor lost its magic.

But rather than give up I tried something I've seldom done, because the results were seldom good: I microwaved it for half a minute. Not only did it dry quickly (of course), but the flavor really popped -- and without relighting.

This is the first time I can honestly recommend using the microwave. Now instead of being frustrated with a thin stream of smoke from constantly relighting a damp flake, I'm getting billows of flavorful smoke. I'm glad that I found a way to really make this flake come alive for me. It has re-earned its four stars.

To be honest, I didn't like this much first out of the tin. As one reviewer stated, it had a very strong and not necessarily pleasant odour upon opening. Not peaty scotch, not tobacco, more like fermented meat. However, I rested this in the tin for ... a few months, and now not only is the moisture content much better--it was far too moist before-- but the acrid smell has settled, and I smell a nice Virginia flake here. I tried rubbing it out, and I think this is the way to go for this flake. It burns cool and smooth with a delicious and unique flavor profile, unlike anything else I've tried. I cannot detect much in the way of Latakia, however that could be me--I'm a big fan of heavy Lat blends and may be a bit desensitized to it, but now after some time, it's a very pleasant experience! BTW, here's a tip--with these flake tins--if you take the lid, and slightly bend each of the four sides in a little bit--so you can just get it back on the tin itself, it improves the seal of the tin and the air tightness considerably.

Pipe Used: Larger "Flake" pipes

Age When Smoked: 6-12 months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

Similar Blends: This is a pretty unique blend....where being laced with Scotch Whiskey is a GOOD thing.....

Like you would almost expect from Samuel Gawith, this flake is pretty much on the moist side in a fresh tin. It's good advise to let the medium brown, mottled slices you want to smoke dry for about 30-45 minutes before filling your pipe.

The tin note is like taking a whiff from a bottle of Lagavulin. There's peat fire and whisky.

I use the fold and stuff method for packing my bowl. Especially when the tobacco is still rather moist, it can take two charring lights, after which I level out the ashes, and also two true lights to get the tobacco burning evenly.

The taste is dominated by the smoky Latakia enhanced by the peated malt whisky flavoring, which also adds some malty, floral sweetness to the blend, and the tangy, grassy aroma of the Virginias. As long as you don't draw too eagerly on your pipe, it'll burn down coolly and slowly leaving some dark grey ash. A glass of Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Islay goes along well with this smoke.

Before I begin my review of Bothy Flake I want to offer a word of thanks to the powers that be who sponsor this sight. Over the years, Tobacco Reviews has provided me with hours of informative and sometimes entertaining reading. If one takes the time to read through the various reviews one will discover some interesting story lines. Some blend threads read like mysteries - does this really have Latakia in it? Some read like love stories - I've hoarded enough of this to last me till it die! Some read like hate mail - what were they thinking when they put this blow torch in a tin! All in all great stuff! Now on to my review. I saw this lonely tin of Bothy Flake sitting on the shelf at the local B&M so I decided to give it a try. I've smoked several other SG flakes so I was prepared to have to deal with hastily stacked, soggy flakes. Surprise, Surprise, these flakes were neatly stacked and at just the right humidity. And yes, the tine was properly sealed. Others have provided good descriptions of this blend,so all I will say is that the whisky, which was faint in my tin, does a nice job of adding a bit of peat to the Latakia smoke and give a bit of lift to the Virginia sweetness. I find that I am reaching for this more of the time, especially since the weather has turned cold. Bothy smokes well in all my pipes, but as is often the case, it shines in a dedicated pipe.

From previous experience, I have bad memories of just about all blends claimed to have been flavoured with Whiskey, Whisky and/or Bourbon. This being by Sam Gawith, though, I still decided it'd be worth a try.

Opening the tin, the scent is indeed a bit of Whiskey, but dominated by the VA/Lat base of the blend. The slices are Sam Gawith's typical, non-foldable product; rubbing out is rather more demanding than I am used to: this stuff is, to my best knowledge, not glued together, but acts as if it were.

That being as it may be, I can still stuff and light up with two matches. The flavour starts out sweet enough, with the Latakia providing good spice, and for the first third of the bowl that is a very satisfying experience to me until the Whiskey sets in.

Which is a bit of a let-down. The flavour is of a Whiskey which has been poured into a shot glass and then forgotten for a day or two and consequently has lost all of its fragrance and aroma, on top of the (very good) VA and Latakia. I wish they had left it out, honestly. The room note is pretty good, though. The sour-ish sweetness and malty notes are in there.

At the very end, I have some dottle left (this stuff is really hard to rub out...), but overall, it's not bad at all. Not Sam Gawith's masterpiece by my standards, but I can imagine that others can enjoy this blend; if you like English blends and want to dip a toe in the gently aromatic genre, I'd say try this.

Yesterday I purchased a tin of this tobacco. Right now I'm smoking the second bowl and I am enthusiastic. After giving one hour to dry, the smoke is cool and tastes like a good virginia with a faint whisky aroma and a little bit of latakia in the background. Thanks to SG for this!

Bought a tin of this on a whim when visiting Edinburgh. Glad I did, its a cracking smoke and it's how I found out about the Kearvaig Pipe Club!

So the baccy... Its the usual slightly messy Flake from SG, on the moist side, a mix of medium browns. The smell in the tin is of stout Virginias with a background campfire smokiness from the Latakia. The whisky topping blends in harmoniously with this, and seems to me pretty subtle. I like Ennerdale Flake of course, so may have a different tolerance for scented baccy.

It smokes like a nice slightly stoved, sweet Virginia Flake, the Latakia giving a nice snowy background. The scotch is subtle, but enhances the sweetness and smokey flavours. It burns to a shred of dottle if you've dried it a little after rubbing out, never gets sour or harsh. I didn't get any bite. I used pipes I keep for unflavoured English Mixtures, and it did not ghost.

In summary, a splendid and completely unique Flake, I look forward to smoking it in the Kearvaig Bothy!

Bothy Flake....opening tin,sweet darkish flakes. Little bit too wet,nice flakes though..drying time approx 30 min,good rub ,pack the pipe and ready to go. First things first,after few puffs you get that sweet Virginia taste, blended with hint of Cyprian Lat...Single Malt is playing minor key. Don't bite but slow smoking pace is needed to get most of the flavor out. It's easily all day smoke. Tasty stuff.

This tobacco makes me wish I had a more educated palate. It is clearly a high quality flake but I can't really discern the latakia presence. All I can taste is the whisky flavouring. Don't get me wrong, this is a good thing, because I love good quality whisky but I love latakia even more. I am a real nicotine wimp and I am writing this in something of a nic haze, which is a less pleasurable experience than I would want... Bothy Flake knocks me on my butt! Strong and woozy making. I enjoy this blend, but it is trying to kill me! I don't usually mix tobaccos but I wonder whether it would be softened by adding some Holger Danske Black and Bourbon to take out some of the punch.

It is moist from the tin and usually is served well by allowing some drying time - twenty minutes perhaps. After that? Flavoursome and potent, but less problematic to keep lit. A half time break doesn't do any harm and on relight, all the flavours immediately reappear, but my stomach thanks me for it.

Easy to recommend but not always easy to smoke. I suspect it will be a regular in the rotatuion. Once I grow some more chest hair.

This has to be one of the most interesting and unique tobacco's I have come across. I tried some of a sample during a pipe night from another piper. It was intriguing enough for me to purchase a tin.

Upon opening the tin for the first time you can smell the peaty scotch topping straight away. It's very strong, but not off putting. Over time that smell from the tin diminishes and instead one gets a sweet earth balanced by smokiness, probably from the latakia, with just a hint of the scotch.

I tried multiple methods in loading my pipe. I found that the air chamber method, after a flake or two had been rubbed out, worked the best for keeping it lit. This does require some relights here and there, but the air chamber method required the least amount.

The smoke was quite flavorful. The VA's were naturally sweet, like FVF, throughout the smoke and provide a decent backbone. The latakia is there in tones of smokiness and slight floral offerings. Now, bear with me on this, the combination of the malt, peat, smokey latakia, seemed to produce a flavor I have not yet experienced in any other tobacco....the best way to describe it for me is Sandalwood Incense. Now, I know this doesn't sound appealing, and my nose could be wrong, but I swear the components created this experience time and time again with this tobacco. It was actually very delightful. I can see why other reviewers mention the 'lakeland' essence, though I don't think it's quite accurate. The fragrance was great during the smoke and the room note was slightly sweet but gentle. Quite an enjoyable smoke. I think some will love it and others will hate it, not much in-between IMHO.

The tin note smells like whiskey and that shows in your smoke. It is somewhat similar to Navy Flake, but the liquour flavour seems to be more apparent here and I dare to say it is packed with less latakia. In true honestly, it is giving me hard time to keep it lit, but the moist content is quite high. Despite this, these flakes are quite rich and full of aroma, so I don't recommend drying them all out. The smoke is quite mellow and tongue friendly with sweet and spicy undertones whereas the latakia it contains seems to bring a woodsy dimension to your smoke. I am finding the smoking experience quite complex and satisfying in so many fronts. I think this tobacco deserves 3 stars.

This is not for the faint-hearted, but if you love a strong latakia, this is wonderful stuff. The whisky comes through well, too, and complements the lat. An excellent tobacco to relax with in the evening.

This is a wonderful blend. I initially found out about this blend when researching the Kearvaig Pipe Club. This tastes how the Highlands look and feel.

I didn't dry it out before loading my pipe, but I probably should have. My eagerness got in the way. Therefore I had a few relights. But it burns evenly and completely. Lots of full flavorful smoke.

This rich latakia blend is mesmerizing. It doesn't punch you in the face with strength. It is wonderfully balanced and full of nuance. The light whisky topping is perfect and compliments the blend rather than overpowering it. First thing in the morning with coffee or late at night with a nice dram of single malt is the perfect time for this tobacco. This needs to be savored and enjoyed.

Great Virginia, as usual for a SG blend, good combustion, slow and steady. I do not notice Latakia. Even flavoring is very far. The taste is full and creamy but does not have anything special to say. 3,0/5 in my personal rating system.

Taste was astringent in my book. Whiskey was not too heavy, but the combo of Latakia and whiskey just was too sharp for my tongue. Even with slow puffing I had tongue bite each time. I tried but could not finish the whole tin. I smoked it slowly over time.

I give it two stars because many seem to like it. Just not for me. SG's Navy Flake with rum and Latakia is smoother to my taste.

To be honest it doesn't smell like scotch or anything at all. It is a mix of dried figs/dates and wet dog. The aroma did not attract me at all. However the smoke was sweet/fruity and the smell quite oriental. It's ok, but I would never buy it again. I am not whisky drinker, but I own a bottle of chivas 12 and I notice no similarities in the aroma/taste.

Conclusion: Hard to keep lit, it still is not my thing once it gets going. It does not bite, strength is medium. The sweet casing drowns the tobacco flavour but adds nothing good in return, so this is not my cup of tea. That is not to say that it is unpleasant, others might like this. I did not really.

Mechanics: Comes very moist, needs drying but is even so a pretty wet smoke. Medium strength. No bite. Burns slowly so this lasts a long time.

Taste: This is one dimensional, tastes of synthetic banana and not whiskey. This does not really change throughout the bowl.